Online counselling is not intended for individuals with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, or for those who are actively suicidal. It is also not for individuals who are in crises, or who need an immediate response to their email. If you feel you are in danger of harming yourself, contact Childline or the Samaritans.

Arranging weekly sessions

We invite you to try one email session, then see how you feel afterwards. If you think you would like more, you can arrange weekly sessions with the counsellor, whereby you send one email per week, which the counsellor will respond to within 3 days.

Arranging drop in sessions

You may prefer to email us without having an arranged time. If you decide you would like to drop in – counsellors will receive your email and respond fully within 4 days.

Opening times – Monday to Friday

You can send us an email any time of the day or night.

We are available Monday – Friday, so any emails sent to COAP counselling over the weekend will be replied to after the weekend. If you need help over the weekend please visit our dedicated links section for organisations that may be able to assist you.

Bank Holidays

On bank holidays and yearly festive occasions such as Christmas Eve/Day and New Years Eve/Day our counselling service is closed.

How do I get in touch with COAP counselling?

1. You send the COAP counsellor a message through our contact a COAP counsellor page. That lets the counsellor know what you would like to talk about for the sessions (up to 18 sessions). We ask that in your message to us you include your personal contact details, including your name, email, username, age, and location.

2. The COAP counsellor will read your email fully and send a message back to you in your COAP private message inbox within 48 hours.

3. You and the counsellor will then have the sessions.

You may find it easier to talk online

Addiction comes in many forms…it could be an addiction to alcohol, drugs, or a form of behaviour such as gambling, or shopping. We understand that it’s not always easy to talk about problems of this nature, especially when dealing with a close friend or family members addiction. You may feel upset or embarrassed, or believe that you have something to hide.

Many of our members find it easier to talk online about their feelings, instead of face-to-face. We know It’s not always physically possible to get to a counselling centre, our COAP counsellor is here to support you.

The COAP counsellor will ask for you to describe your feelings, and invite you to share your thoughts. If you want to ignore any of the questions, you can. There are no right or wrong answers, and you won’t be told off or judged because of your feelings. Some weeks may be ‘light’, you may feel OK and have little to say. Other weeks may be ‘heavy’, with lots happening that you may wish to share or discuss… You decide how much to write.

The main points are:

It is private and confidential within our COAP Counselling Team

The counsellor will not tell you what to do

The counsellor will listen and try to understand

The counsellor will try to help you see your problems in a different way

The counsellor will try to help you find a way to help yourself

Other important information…

Why we may ask for your personal contact details

We may ask for your personal contact details during your counselling email sessions with a COAP counsellor. This is so that we can contact you if we feel either you or another child is at risk or in danger. We would contact you by private message first, and talk about how we can help ensure your own, or someone else’s safety. It is our policy to keep children and young people safe.

Confidentiality Policy

What you talk about with the COAP counsellor is confidential and remains with the COAP online counselling team, unless you are at risk of being hurt or abused. The counsellor will have a supervisor who checks the support emails, but your name will not be mentioned. If you or someone else is in danger, the counsellor will be concerned and may want to talk with you about getting more help.

Online counselling

If you want a definition of counselling, you can find out more from the BACP website. Online counselling is different from face to face counselling.

The Legal Stuff

The COAP counsellors are Accredited Counsellors with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) . This means our counsellors work within BACP and MBACP ‘Ethical Framework for Counsellors’, and also the BACP Guidelines for Online Counselling and Psychotherapy. If you want to know more, look up www.bacp.co.uk. Our counsellors have been specifically trained to counsel online with www.ocst.org.uk, www.onlinecounsellors.co.uk and www.onlinetrainingforcounsellors.co.uk

Want to know what records COAP keeps?

COAP keeps a record so you don’t have to keep going over the same stuff every time you talk to us. Records are completely secure, and kept on an electronic file, unique to COAP.

COAP keeps your record for 3 years. We are unable to provide you with copies of your email sessions as we cannot verify your identity. We also use the database to collect anonymous statistical information to help us improve COAP services.

Welcome to COAP

COAP was set up so young people affected by parental drug and alcohol abuse do not have to feel alone in what can be very tough times for many young people.

You Are Not Alone…

Over 4,400 messages have been posted in our message boards.

Our welcoming, safe, and supportive online community continues to grow; letting young people know they are not alone in their experiences. Our mentors understand and know what it’s like to live with addiction.

‘Its really nice to know there is someone in the same position, it makes me feel a lot less alone’. COAP member

Whether you are living with drug and alcohol abuse, gambling or another form of addiction; together our online community supports and empowers its members, providing a space to share problems and seek advice from others who understand what they’re going through.